8 No-fail Ways to Create the Perfect Vacation Rental Listing

How do you make your rental property stand out with millions of vacation rentals available online? In the digital era, where dream destinations are a few clicks away, why should visitors choose you among others?

A vacation rental listing is your most important asset when advertising your property online. It's more than an advert; it tells your brand's story, helping visitors daydream about staying in your house.

Prospective guests should know your vacation rental meets all their requirements within a few scrolls. If they drool over your stay, you're doing something right. And you know us; we hate gatekeeping. So here are our top tips to create an unmissable vacation rental listing.

Simple Tips for a Winning Vacation Rental Listing

1. Keep Your Buyer Persona in Mind

"All travelers" is not your buyer persona. "Couples" and "families with kids" are not your buyer personas. But your buyer persona is "Alice, a 35-year-old American, married without kids, traveling with her spouse, and looking for a peaceful cocoon amidst the mountains for total rejuvenation." Do you see where we're getting at?

Specify your customer to the T: demographics, behaviors, interests, and fears. Then, use descriptive language to talk directly to their needs. If your vacation rental offers 3 bedrooms, you'll likely accommodate families or large groups, so reflect that in your listing.

At the same time, if you specialize in a niche, such as sustainable tourism, highlight it in your vacation rental listing sites as your value proposition. For example, mention how your rental supports recycling, saves water, and uses solar energy. This can set you apart from the competition.

2. Upload Appealing Photos

We've mentioned multiple times in the past the value of high-quality photos. They're the first thing guests notice on vacation rental sites and can be the reason why someone books with you. Often, users will only see a cover image among hundreds of others before clicking on your landing page, so make it scroll-stopping.

However, adding a bunch of incoherent photos to your listing won't do the trick. You need to arrange them in a logical or visual sequence. For example, you can take guests on a journey through your house from door to door. You can also arrange photos by room category: bedrooms, living room, bathrooms, and kitchen area.

Alternatively, you can arrange photos by color scheme - although not so informative for guests, it'll appeal to the eye. Don't have a camera? Hire a professional photographer to take pictures of your vacation rentals or capture pictures with your smartphone.

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3. Create a Scroll-stopping Headline

Got a vacation rental name? Use it as a headline in your property listing. A great headline can be why someone clicks on your rental, so carefully select your wording and avoid generic titles. Also, keep search engines (SEO) in mind by using relative keywords your guests will likely type to search for you.

Take a look at the following headlines:

• City apartment for short-term rental
• Newly renovated 1-bedroom city loft in the heart of New York for couples

If you instantly skip to the second headline, you see the power of wording and how it can build the story around your apartment rentals. Try using descriptive words that convey what it's like living in your property. Words like "peaceful", "relaxing", "serene", and "cozy" are good starters.

4. Write a Detailed Vacation Rental Description

Your vacation rental description is the cherry on top of a good listing. Now that you've got potential guests' attention, it's time to entice them with details about their stay. Let your personality shine through words and leave no questions unanswered. People are spending precious time off work, so they want to make sure your rental is everything it promises before they book.

We highly recommend breaking your description into bite-sized information instead of large chunks of text. For instance, create different paragraphs for "facilities", "surroundings", and "policies", and use bullet points and numbered lists to make it more appealing. Users will be skimming text, so highlight the most crucial information.

Also, avoid passive language; talk directly to readers and keep a friendly and casual tone. Always be honest; don't overpromise and underdeliver, as guests will see right through you and reflect it in reviews. Once done, double-check your grammar and spelling!

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5. Display Positive Reviews From Past Guests

You may write the perfect description and post stunning photos of your vacation rentals, but what will seal the deal with potential guests are positive reviews from past visitors. Word of mouth is the currency that can make or break online transactions, so encouraging guest reviews for your rental properties is key.

These not only build trust and a positive brand image but also help accentuate your home's best features. With 92% of US travelers checking online reviews before making travel arrangements, this is your chance to increase bookings and attract more customers.

6. Set a Reasonable Pricing

Pricing your vacation rentals is no picnic. You have to consider seasonality, competition, supply and demand, as well as global circumstances. A set-it-and-forget-it approach won't do the trick. With the vacation rental market changing by the day, you need to keep up with the latest updates and adjust your prices accordingly.

Bitting too high might leave your rentals without tenants. On the contrary, biting too low might attract guests who are not your buyer persona or have you leaving money on the table. The safest way to price your vacation rental properties is by checking your competitors' rates for high and low seasons. Also, know your minimum night rate to ensure you're not selling yourself short.

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7. Specify Your House Rules and Policies

Are parties and pets allowed? What are your check-in and check-out policies? Can guests smoke in your vacation rental property? These are popular guest' questions, so make sure to specify them in your listing. We recommend staying flexible in your policies, especially when it comes to the availability of your rental property.

Gone are the days when setting a minimum stay of one week was acceptable. Travelers today juggle multiple responsibilities, often pushing a quick trip among their busy schedules. Making it even trickier for them with limited availability or strict check-in and check-out rules will likely push them away. Don't forget, competition is fierce, so what one doesn't offer, someone else does.

8. Set Your Availability

Once everything's ready, it's time to define your rental property's availability. Some important factors to consider are managing your cleaning and maintenance providers around your bookings so that everything's up and running for guests. Also, if you offer physical check-in, consider your availability to welcome visitors when they arrive.

As mentioned earlier, stay as flexible as possible to increase bookings. For example, offering check-ins only on Saturdays, like some hosts used to do in the past, will limit your profit and business. Visitors look for convenient accommodation solutions; the last thing you want is to give them a hard time on their vacations.

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Your Turn to Create a Compelling Vacation Rental Listing

In a nutshell, take some time to create your vacation rental listing if you want to attract visitors from near and far. The more effort you put into it, the merrier. Remember, your goal is to have prospective guests dreaming about your home and getting excited with anticipation for their upcoming holidays.

If you're looking for a vacation rental site that doesn't cut from your profit and allows you to take your business into your own hands, Houfy is your book-direct solution trusted by more than 52,000 hosts.

You can easily list your property by importing your Airbnb listing or creating your own book direct website. With just a one-off $5.99 fee for host verification, you get to upload unlimited listings and wave goodbye to large OTAs who drain your pockets. Join us today!